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Good Technology adds margin rewards to expanding partner program

The Margin Rewards program gives an additional discount when the partner does business with new logos, to reward them for bringing in new business. It goes into a discount pool that the partners can use to buy software, which they can pass on to a new end user, or use themselves.

John Taylor, Good Technology’s VP of Worldwide Channel Operations

Mobile security specialist Good Technology has announced the addition of a Margin Rewards Program to its partner program.

Good emphasizes very strong security in its core products like the Good Collaboration Suite, a tightly integrated package of business-class applications for Android and iOS, and the Good for Enterprise mobile management and collaboration suite. They built up their business in North America among Global 2000 businesses, particularly Fortune 100 ones in security-sensitive verticals like financials and government. With a focus on that market they sold primarily direct in North America, although they did have some partners.

Earlier this year, however, Good made a strategic decision to expand their midmarket and SMB business, through their first-ever North American distribution deal, with Tech Data. The result has been more partners, a much greater channel role for the channel, and the expansion of Good’s channel program to offer the partners more benefits.

“We brought Tech Data on board because we wanted and needed more market reach, and we had already had good experiences with them across EMEA,” said John Taylor, Good Technology’s VP of Worldwide Channel Operations. “In North America since we signed on with them we have added just over 50 new partners. A good chunk of those have already conducted business and others have business in the pipeline.”

As mobility and security have both increased significantly in importance, the demand for Good’s products has risen, Taylor said.

“These are things that now affect everyone, not just those in the domain of regulated business or big business,” he said. “Our proposition is branching out and becoming relevant to far more verticals. Tech Data has the relationship with those midmarket resellers. We want them to help us enter this new market.”

Taylor said that Good talked to partners about what rewards they wanted to see from their program, and their findings dovetailed with new independent research from Canalys which found that the two most important things to partners were deal registration and the rebate program. Taylor said that while the Margin Rewards Program isn’t technically a rebate, it’s close.

“We already have deal registration, which has been very successful, and this is a bit of a hybrid, which isn’t really a rebate or MDF, but is something new,” Taylor said. “It gives an additional discount when they do business with new logos, a reward for bringing in new business. This goes into a discount pool that the partners can use to buy software, which they can pass on to a new end user, or use themselves, so they have a choice to use it as a margin enhancement tool or sales development tool.”

Taylor said that while this isn’t a rebate in the classical sense, it amounts to the same thing.

“A rebate program is a reward in addition to front-end margin for fulfilling behavior that we want,” he said. “From a business perspective, it amounts to a rebate, although an accountant wouldn’t necessarily see it that way.”

The new Margin Rewards Program is in effect now, and covers deals registered by eligible partners with Good Technology as of September 1, 2014.

Taylor also said more new programmatic features will soon be coming to the partner program.

“During Q4, we will be adding some additional components to the program which we are piloting now,” he said.